With each Winter Olympics, no sport offers more excitement than the slalom ski competition. As part of the Alpine discipline, slalom requires quicker, more precise turns than the giant slalom, Super-G or downhill due to the closer spacing of the gates. These gates, consisting of alternating pairs of red and blue poles, define the area the skier must pass through on her way down the course.
The Beginning
Alpine, or downhill, skiing evolved from cross-country skiing, with the first competition held in Oslo, Norway during the 1850s. The invention of stiff bindings, made by tying pieces of wet birch roots to boots and allowing them to dry, advanced Alpine skiing. The inventor, Sondre Norheim, found that the dried roots offered a much stiffer binding than the leather straps used to date, and enabled quicker and more precise turning. Alpine skiing soon gained popularity as a leisure activity in the United States and Europe.
Early Advances
Austrian Mathias Zdarsky developed the technique of angling one ski to the fall line for better speed control in 1896. Another Austrian, Hannes Schneider, improved upon Zdarsky's technique and introduced maneuvers to stop and turn. Schneider also organized the first formal method of ski instruction, later known as the Arlberg technique, and the basis for most of the skiing skills utilized today.
Sir Arnold Lunn developed the rules for the modern slalom in 1922. These rules were used during the British National Ski Championships in 1928 and the Winter Olympic games in 1936. Before the implementation of the new rules, gates had been marked by a single flag. Lunn changed the gates to pairs of flags arranged to form a variety of turn lengths. He also altered the method of scoring, which had been based on a combination of style and time, to time alone.
Changes
"Breakaway gates" were implemented when the bamboo poles were replaced with hard plastic hinged poles. This allowed a more direct path down the slalom course, as skiers developed the technique of "shinning" or "cross-blocking" the gates. The skiers' legs and skis would pass around the gates, while their upper body and shins would knock the gate down. Flags were removed from the slalom gates for international competition in the early 1990s.
In the 1980s and 1990s, skiers were using 203 to 207 cm length skis in slalom competitions. The turn of the century brought technological innovations that allowed for shorter skis to be used, and by the 2002 Winter Olympics, most skiers were competing on skis that measured 160 cm or less.
The shorter skis, while increasing speed, made recovery more difficult and increased the chance of skier injury. Concerned with safety, the Federation Internationale du Ski, the governing body for all alpine ski events, set a minimum of 155 centimeters for men and 150 centimeters for women in international competition. This was increased to 165 centimeters for men and 155 centimeters for women prior to the 2003 season. (See References 2)
Today
The United States Ski and Snowboard Association oversees competition and Olympic selection for all Alpine events. In the 2008 season, Americans Lindsey Vonn, Bode Miller and Ted Ligety accounted for five Alpine World Cup titles. United States athletes accounted for 29 victories, with six from disabled athletes, representing all six ski sports.
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